ndemned people for passing judgment before trial. >> the best feeling i have today is i know i can go home and my daughter will ask me, what did you do today? and i can say i saved a life. >> for the 12 men and women of the jury, it was a life and death decision. first-degree murder is punishable by the death penalty in the state of florida. throughout, the prosecutor portrayed casey anthony as a party girl who wanted to be free of the burdens that come with raising a child. >> we find the verdict to be a surprise. we know the facts and we put in every piece of evidence that existed. >> the share of concern -- sherrod shared his concerns -- sheriff shared his concerns about people reacting to the verdict. >> we ask for your peaceful acknowledgement. there have been other high profile criminal prosecutions throughout our nation that have

resulted in civil disobedience. >> as for casey anthony's parents, they left the courtroom after the judge read the verdict and did not approach their daughter. sentencing is set for thursday,. right after the verdict the jury decided not to talk to the media, declining all interviews. >> needless to say, this is a trial that has been watched around the nation for more than a month and really, talked about for years. there is plenty of reaction on the street today. we are live in a newsroom with more of what your neighbors are saying about the jury as a decision. >> the reaction runs the gamut but there is more shock and surprise than satisfaction. >> outraged. outraged and saddened. >> the jury's verdict stunned some sharply. it came as a shock to those who

followed the case. >> there is not dna evidence. there is not some kind of technical wizardry involved. people will not convict. >> some found the florida trial of the young mother mesmerizing. they never doubted her guilt and expected a quick conviction. >> i am not a judge but from what i saw, there were a lot of question marks. >> it is not a surprise. i knew that would happen. >> some say acquittal was never in doubt. some who followed the case believe prosecutors overreached in the first case -- in the first place by charging her with murder. >> even with the long delay in finding the little girl's remains, much of the evidence was erased. a reasonable doubt loomed large. >> thank you for that. well our coverage of the

verdict continues throughout the night. there will be more reaction on abc-seven years at 6:00 with more detailed analysis on -- news at 6:00 with more detailed analysis of the verdict. and that will be followed by a special edition of "nightline." >> one thing folks around here will be talking about the mother of a toddler who died while being left in a hot than is being charged with murder. she is suspected to turn herself in tomorrow. in june, the two-year-old was found dead strapped in the car after several hours. >> we are following breaking news for you right now. a nasty situation for commuters. look at this. this is i-66. this all started when a tractor-

trailer loaded with hay caught fire. this was the scene a short time ago. we are on the scene right now. what is the latest out there? >> well, we can tell you that this has been a mess for several hours now. what we are talking about is route 66 here at exit 60. you can see that the traffic is backed up. at the last check, it was backed up four miles. what fairfax county is telling us is that a tractor trailer in the westbound lanes carrying loads of hague, caught fire for some unknown reason. -- loads of hay caught fire for some unknown reason. it's shutdown all of the westbound lanes of rte. 66 for several hours. not only are we talking about the destructive fire but a massive, massive -- [no audio]

>> that video is incredible. you can see why things are tied up in both directions. >> at the worst time of day too. >> we will get back to him a little bit later with more on that truck fire causing a big mess for commuters this tuesday. also tonight, a major new moves in a prince george's county corruption scandal. johnson has announced she will step down at the end of the month. she pleaded guilty to destroying evidence in a corruption probe. there are calls for her to step down not at the end of the month but right now instead. our bureau chief is live with more on her announcement. >> last week in court, leslie johnson admitted that she tried to hide bribe money from the fbi by stuffing it in her underwear. that is a felony obstruction of

justice and witness tampering. she vowed at that time to stay in office until sentencing in october, as the law allows, but she has had a change of heart. >> leslie johnson took her seat on the council this morning and answer the roll call. she participated in the opening prayer and the pledge of allegiance. then, she gathered her things and walked out. her only explanation came in the form of an e-mail the statement that she is resigning effective july 31st so that "the district can be in the best possible position to move forward." she added that she apologizes for her mistake. but the drama in the chamber was not over. after an hour-long private session, the remaining eight members returned to say that johnson should go now. since they cannot force her out they are stripping her of all of her perks and budget. >> including but not limited to the use of a car parking cell

phone, and discretionary funding. >> the end result is that she may remain a council member in name and collect her pay for another three and a half weeks but she has no status and is no longer welcome on the day as. the district of voters say that if she has pleaded guilty to a felony, she should go immediately. >> is a disgrace to the county. i live in this area. i say we should have representation, and she cannot represent us. >> what is going on in this county now the image this county has what we are trying to do, she should step down right away. >> johnson did not respond to any follow-up questions. it looks like she is going to hold firm and stick to the new resignation date of july 31st. the county executive just put out a statement saying that if that is the case he will hold a special election 90 days from

that point. the hope and is to get a permanent council person in place by the end of october. >> thank you brad. you can follow everything in the prince george's county corruption special -- scandal anytime online at wjla.com. >> right now, let's turn to the weather. if you have been outside you have no doubt that it is summertime. here is a live look outside at the district. it is fairly quiet. there is a chance of thunderstorms in the future. we have a quick look at the forecast. >> we are keeping our eyes on showers and storms well to the east of the peninsula. no concern about rain tonight. the main thing is heat and humidity will start to build. this is our live camera in chesapeake beach.

it is a beautiful afternoon with a few clouds over the district and northern delaware. mostly, it is sunny and hot 91 degrees. it is humid, but not oppressively so. there are storms on the eastern shore, a couple of sprinkles. temperatures are about 90-93 in frederick. 79 degrees in la plata where they did have some showers earlier. overnight, we will start in the upper-70's and drop to the mid- 70's by morning. >> thank you. believe it or not the cleanup from sunday's storm continues. those storms pack quite a punch. we found plenty of trees still down especially in arlington. power is still out for hundreds of people. we found a lot of residents working for a third day to try

to get back to normal. we are live in arlington with the latest on the cleanup effort. >> it is hard to imagine. this was a storm that lasted only minutes. we still have 1200 residents here in arlington that do not have power. take a look at this damage. this was a grand cherokee jeep. it is now sliced in half, completely pulverized by a tree. we have power crews everywhere. in north arlington, crews are still trying to cut a way out. one house cut down to one fifth of its size is just one example of the ferocious winds that came through on sunday. >> they told us to prepare for the worst, and we got the worst. >> this family came back from vacation to find that a 100 year-old tree had toppled. >> it swiped along the side of the house and took off four feet of the chimney. >> he called agents and cleanup

crews. work is underway. >> it is heartbreaking, mostly. >> north arlington is covered in trees and shattered glass. this person took no chances taking down the compromised tree before it hurt someone. >> i spent $3,000 to end up with no tree. >> roads are shut down by power crews on top of one another. those without power are upset. >> it is pretty hot. it is about 90 degrees upstairs. everything in the refrigerator spoiled already. >> we are being told by virginia power that they expect to have all power turned on by 10:00 p.m. this is an obvious reason to stay inside. we are told that they have 70

major trouble spots and cruise at every single one of those spots. >> thank you. we are following some more breaking news. this is from the white house where just a few minutes ago president obama again appealed to congress to work out a budget compromise. the president has invited house and senate leaders to the white house on thursday to continue their talks to reduce the federal budget deficit and to work out a deal to raise the debt ceiling. mr. obama says debt reduction should include both spending cuts and tax increases. republicans say they are opposed to any tax increases. >> still to come, a frightening wake-up call for a local family when an suv smashed into their home. we have their emotional story. >> plus, another trial gets underway tomorrow, this time against the baseball great. we will show you what roger clemens will face.

> an autistic son his father wheelchair-

>> we continue now with our coverage of a developing story in fairfax county where it 25- year-old is charged with a murder. >> his son faces homicide charges. we're live in fairfax county with more on what happened. >> police say the murder happened around 10:00 last night at this home here behind me. the victim pose a wife and son worked out -- victim's son and wife were out watching a fireworks show. >> neighbors were tight-lipped but those who did talk said what happened here last night was a tragedy. >> it should not happen in a quiet place like this. >> the suspect a 25-year-old who suffers from autism. the victim, his father, who is wheelchair-bound.

>> he could not walk so he was always inside. >> this woman works for the neighbors across the street. she asked that we not show her face. she and other neighbors who would speak off-camera are shocked by what happened. they say what happened is a tragedy. casey and his father were home alone last night. >> he has killed his father. >> everyone was used to seeing him in the neighborhood walking the family dog. his mother and brother were out during the community fireworks show. around 10:00, police received a 911 call about a break-in at the home. >> when we arrived we determined that no break-in had occurred and that the person who called us had killed someone. >> the person who called, according to police was casey. casey took them to his father's body. he had been stabbed repeatedly and was dead at the scene. >> we would not have thought

something like this would happen in this neighborhood. >> he was arrested on the spot right here at the home last night. he is in jail right now under no bond. police at this point say they do not have a motive for the crime. >> thank you. the perjury trial of baseball star roger clemens gets underway tomorrow. he left court today after a hearing. the judge said he will probably not allow the pitcher's former teammates to testify. roger clemens is charged with perjury and obstruction for telling a house committee he never took steroids during his baseball career. >> there are some new indications that the final shuttle flight could be a washout. there is a 60% chance that weather will delay the launch. atlantis is scheduled to launch

on friday morning. millions of spectators, yours truly included could be going to cape canaveral to watch the historic launch because it is the final launch of the shuttle program. we will have complete coverage for you live from the kennedy space center starting on thursday, hopefully. >> there will be some storms along the coast thursday and friday. if they launch a 8:30 a.m., they have a better chance. >> fingers crossed. we will see how it goes. >> let's tell you our weather story this tuesday. just a few fairweather clouds passing overhead, and that is all we expect for the rest of the evening. it is currently 89 degrees in district heights and 93 degrees

in fredericksburg. it is a little bit on the human side, but not oppressively humid right now. did you points are in the lower 60's. -- the dew points are in the lower-60's. 85 in pittsburgh now, 90 degrees in chicago, 90 degrees in atlanta and wilmington as well. brutal he continues in the southern plains, every day at or over 100. we are going to spend our fair share of the next few days in the 90's around here. wins tonight will push the -- winds tonight will push the dew

points up. on friday, there may be a disturbance coming up the coast. we will keep an eye on it. that could affect parts of our area. lots of things to watch, but definitely warm and humid weather will be the story for the next couple of days. 70's when you wake up, 86 midday tomorrow, and as we head through the next seven days, check this out. temperatures in the lower-90's going through most of next week. 40% chance of storms on thursday though. >> if you are a music lover, you are going to want to sign up to our facebook page give away. our lucky winner this week is nicole. we are giving away itunes gift cards all week long. sign up for your chance on facebook.

we wish you good luck. >> nickel. i will write that one down. >> maybe she will share with you. >> we will see how big her heart is. coming up, a link between autism and anti-depressant. what a study has found and what this could mean for expectant mothers. >> and a tragic end to fourth of july fireworks. we have details on a drowning in the potomac. >> live in vienna, there is a church bandit.

>> we are back now with a cruel crime in some of the most sacred places. >> someone is stealing purses and watches in places of worship in vienna. we are live now in vienna with the story. >> behind me here, one of the stories that was affected. here is a parishioner who had left her purse in an office. the office was unlocked. someone grab her wallet out of her purse and ran off. the church is looking to see if anything else is missing. you must be pretty low when you target people like this woman. her purse was taken from her

church of the sunday morning during services while she worked with kids. >> i feel taken advantage of, obviously. >> at the police station today she asked us not to show her face. she is one of at least four victims at 3 the and the churches, all hit during an unholy crime spree. >> i am scared that someone could be out there stealing identities. >> it is very unusual that it would be at church, and it is very sad that someone would choose that location to prey on people. >> police say two churches were swiped at two churches -- two purses were swiped at two churches, and two wallets were swiped at two others. >> that is horrible. i do not know. you just do not know. you have to be vigilant, even at

church. >> it is certainly not going to help you get into heaven. police say they do not have any suspects at this point. as to the victim, she said to be ever stole her purse made off with her black barry -- she said whoever stole her purse made off with her blackberry and her credit cards. >> coming up next, charlie sheen gets ready for a new tv gig. >> i am on the national mall where these cabdriver's say police are harassing them trying to drive them out of business. >> tonight a house is in shambles a family recovering, and a woman charged with drinking and dri

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a new ongoing prescription. i'm carla, and this is my cvs. and his, too. >> and suv corrine out-of- control and into a home. this was just after midnight. tonight, the homeowner is speaking out about the horrifying wake-up call. we're live in aspen hills with a look at the damage created by this crazy crash. >> you can still see exactly

what happened. the suv came off the roadway over an indignant, and ended inside this home here in aspen hills. the woman driving is facing a number of charges including drinking and driving. >> montgomery county officers handcuffed and arrested the 22- year-old. they say around 12:30 p.m. she was driving under the influence and speeding when she lost control of her suv and crashed into the home on the corner. >> i heard a crash inside the house. i looked up and i opened the door and i saw and suv inside. >> he and his young son were inside their house. he says his wife was inches from where the suv ripped through the family room, ultimately coming to a stop in the dining room.

>> if she would have been four more inches to the right or left, she would not be alive. >> officers said the drivers smelled of alcohol and failed the sobriety test. after she crashed she said not to call police. >> i thought i was dreaming. it was crazy. >> today, the home is boarded up, condemned by the county. officers tell us that she also hit several road signs and other part cars. >> if she had been going faster, she probably would have been gone -- it would have gone airborne on that hill. it could have gone a lot worse. >> tonight, the family is having to stay in a hotel. a passenger in the suv and the

driver were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. they were treated and released. as far as the driver is concerned, she is charged with a number of things. she has been released tonight. >> thank you. taking a look now at our top stories, a split verdict in the casey anthony murder trial. after less than 11 hours, the jury found her not guilty of murdering her two-year old daughter but guilty of lying to investigators. she will be sentenced on thursday. >> another family tragedy is unfolding tonight in great falls. a son is charged with killing his father. the body was found in its home last night. the sun is said to be responsible. he is autistic. >> many residents are still recovering from this weekend's

thunderstorms. about 1200 residents of arlington are still without power today. crews are working to remove tree limbs from the roadways. >> d.c. fire officials say a man was untying his boat last night when he hit his head and fell into the water. he was rushed to a local hospital where he later died. >> a man who nearly drowned remains in critical condition tonight. he was at a late last night with friends. he walked -- lake last night with friends. he walked into the water to retrieve a remote-controlled boat and began to drown. he was taken to a local hospital for treatment. >> pedi-cab drivers on the national mall say that police

are harassing them while regular bicycle riders get a free ride through town. >> they are growing in popularity here. there are about 75 now. many are driven by teachers, students, and others looking to make extra money. but they say that someone is out to get them. >> these customers seem to like it. >> i do not like to walk long distances. this is done. it goes fast and you get there easily. >> but they say police are targeting them. this man said he recently had two disabled passengers. >> a policeman came up and ordered them off the bike. he claimed the scabs were illegal on the mall. -- these calves were illegal on the mall. >> nobody seems to know if there are any rules. >> it seems like a precious harassment. >> they have no safety equipment like seat belts. very few have lights or

reflectors. they are blocking roadways. this is an important safety concern. the drivers say most do have lights and blinkers and there has never been an accident. >> it is frustrating to be treated like a criminal when i am just trying to make some money. >> some drivers think that another company is pressuring park police to push these calves out -- cabs out. they have started a petition. >> we are not criminals. why are we being treated as such? >> in another city, these cabs are regulated by the department of consumer affairs. here, as the department has proposed making all drivers where reflective vests and all passengers wear seat belts. so far, no action has been

taken. >> time now for a look at the traffic situation including the truck fire we told you about on interstate 66. >> thank you. details are not good, unfortunately. west and 66, all lanes are still blocked because of that truck that caught on fire. traffic is being diverted at 123. heavy delays began on the outer loop at river. there are heavy beltway delays as well. lee highway on the side down side is solid. they are still working to get a lane open. >> thank you. coming up we have an update on a penguin found in an unlikely place. >> what do you mean by trim the

fat? >> have you heard the one about the horrible bosses? we will have a review, coming up. >> new at 6:00,

>> we are back with entertainment. >> have you ever had a boss you truly hated? there is a movie coming out that is just for you. [laughter] >> it is called "horrible bosses," and i believe you talked to the director about this. >> if you thought you had a bad boss, wait until you see "horrible bosses." it is a comedy that takes workplace resentment to the ultimate. >> that is actually a good idea. >> jason bateman and jason sudekis cannot take it anymore so they hatch a plan to rub out their horrible losses.

>> what do you mean by trim the fat? >> including collin farrell kevin spacey, and reverse sexual harasser, jennifer anniston. >> i am sorry. >> the language is shocking. >> the director of this r-rated comedy says it was inspired by tough work places. >> i think all of us have had a horrible boss. if you have one now, i am sure you cannot say so. >> i have a wonderful boss. i love my boss. he is great. at the movies, "transformers' 3" opened big. "horrible bosses" opens friday, and i mean it. i like my boss. >> ok, we heard you. [laughter]

>> it is pretty crass, right? >> it is. >> thank you. >> up next -- >> they are taking it because they think they need an extra boost, but for other people is an important drug. >> an

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>> expectant mothers and women thinking about having children, listen to this. >> another study has revealed a potential cause of autism, and it might be in your medicine cabinet right now. >> this study took a look at women who use anti-depressant during pregnancy, and for some, even up to a year before pregnancy. doctors say there is a much darker side to mental illness. >> without the medication, i would not be in a place to consider having kids.

>> for her the anti-depressant that keeps her head clear could be a serious problem when it comes to having kids. a new study shows a link between the widely prescribed anti-depressant and autism. the study looks the prenatal exposure to prozac, as a lot, and other -- zoloft and other sri's, prompting concern that prenatal exposure may increase risks for autism. a doctor a georgetown university says the risks have to be weighed against the alternatives. >> balancing this risk against the risk of leaving depression and treated. >> the study does not paint a clear picture of why these drugs might trigger autism, but it is another reason for moms to be on

alert as to what they are exposed to during pregnancy. >> include stress on the mom. it includes a toxic environment. it also includes medications. >> having been on a generic brand of the anti-depressant for three years she says her health will continue to come first. >> i have heard things like if the father is over 50 and all kinds of crazy things that they think lead to autism. it does not surprise me that they would eventually link this to it. >> the study is just preliminary but doctors say it is intriguing and deserves the attention of a follow-up. for now he recommends that women look for alternatives to the anti-depressant, and not treat their depression on iran. >> and now, the story of a penguin that was found walking on the beach in new zealand last month, about 1,900 miles from

home in antarctica. wildlife experts do not know why the pan when it veered so far off course. he became ill -- penguin revered so far off course. he became ill shortly after. yes been treated and will be released back into the ocean so that he can swim back home. >> charlie sheen is getting ready to be roasted on the air. he has agreed to be the focus of the next comedy central celebrity rest, set to air september 19th. that happens to be the same night that ashton culture will replace charlie sheen on his comedy "two and a half man." >> while times on abc primetime tonight. the our kicks off with a wipeout. how about getting launched from

a cliff on a pickup truck? that is what one unlucky lose their will experience to night in the new game, 101 ways to leave a game show. >> launched from the back of a truck. that is when you know you have failed. >> exactly. >> let's see what's coming up at 6:00. >> we have a look ahead. >> good evening. before the july is over, but the fireworks continue -- the fourth of july is over, but the fireworks continue on capitol hill. plus new allegations that two of the nation's largest banks made major mistakes but penalized their account holders for the problem. we will have that at 6:00. >> in the meantime, let's see what is going on with the weather.

>> what is the latest? >> over the next few days, the heat will go up. the humidity level will go up. our daily chance for a thunderstorm will go up. it is 86 in annapolis now, a beautiful afternoon, a little bit of breeze as well. it is 92 and alexandria, but feels like 96. it is 89 in silver spring. temperatures around the area are in the upper-80's to low-90's. there have been rains and heavy downpours across delaware for the last five-six hours. farmers are happy. it will clear up later tonight. our forecast as we head through the day tomorrow, sunny and warm through midday then hot, more humidity low-90's.

thursday and friday, temperatures clear up a bit and then the heat and humidity poor's back in. keep up with the weather any time at wjla.com. interactive doppler is a big favorite at this time of year. back to you. >> we do not want to see any rain tonight. we have a big test coming to town. i will be in attendance. >> the washington cassels, whose roster includes 50 grand slam titles, opens tonight against the kansas city explorers. venus williams is one of the marquee players. she took time today to connect with the community. she held a clinic with local kids, and for one young player, this is the day she will never forget. >> she is the reason why i

played. i was really nervous. >> these kids are motivating for me because i was in this situation once in the 1980's. i went to a clinic with billie jean king and i remember really wanting to impress her, to show her what i could do. i was running and hitting as hard as i could. it is so funny. it is full circle. now i am in that position. i love being a part of it. >> with so much money and greed dominating our sports lately, and after two successful walkouts it looks like the pros could learn a few things from the kids. a contest was held at this high school with a $40,000 scholarship as the prize. the winner gave it all back. he is already headed to cal state northridge on a full scholarship, so he thought the other seven finalists could use the cash more than he could. a documentary of this story will be released this fall.

>> how about that. >> that is so great.

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>> prince william and kate continue to impress crowns in canada. >> they are comfortably sharing the spotlight in the northwest territories. as they get closer to wrapping up their canadian visit before heading to california later in the week. >> the plane carrying the duke and duchess of cambridge arrived on a rainy day. they were greeted warmly on the sixth day of their canadian to work, working the crowd a bit and shaking hands. the royals attended an aboriginal ceremony with traditional drumming, dancing and sports. >> we have been here just 12 hours. we have already seen the full

potential of this region, an irrepressible spirit of adventure. >> this after a trip to prince edward island including a boat race and the spontaneous brief embrace. it is highly unusual for the british royal family to show public displays of affection. >> prince william is going to do things his way. >> his boat finished first in the race, which seemed to disappoint the onlookers. >> beautiful, athletic. she seems really nice. >> the crabs and cameras had been focused almost entirely on kate -- crowds and cameras had been focused almost entirely on kate. but the prince did get some attention of his own with his piloting skills on display in a training maneuver, landing a canadian helicopter on a lake more than a dozen times. later today, they will be

meeting with canadian rangers and speaking at a session of parliament. will and kate will be in america in just a few days. they are making a three day visit to california. that does it for us it 5:00. tonight at 6:00 -- >> and the verdict as to count one, we the jury find the defendant not guilty. >> casey did not murder caylee. it is that simple. >> casey anthony is acquitted in the murder of her young child. the councilwoman concedes after pleading guilty in a corruption scandal. also -- >> he had never run anything before. never really had a leadership role before. >> why mitt romney says president obama has failed america.